'Not an easy situation': Former Newcastle goalkeeper considering early retirement after leaving club

Newcastle United signed two goalkeepers in the summer while losing one to contract expiration and failing to sell another.

Martin Dubravka was hotly tipped for a move away from the club this summer with a move to Celtic mooted for a long time before they opted for Kasper Schmeichel.

Meanwhile, the Magpies did say goodbye to one 'keeper as Loris Karius departed the club when his contract expired.

The giant German was eyeing a move to Italy to be closer to his fiancee who works as a sports journalist out there.

Loris Karius could retire after failing to find a new club since leaving Newcastle

While Karius received a few offers for a new club, none of them felt right for the former Liverpool stopper and he remains without a club to this day, something that he has now admitted is not easy.

"This is certainly not an easy situation at the moment. Being without a club as a player is one of the worst things, but I take it relatively calmly because I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career. So, I can deal with the situation quite well, even if I would of course wish it were different.

“You have to be realistic. I had a few offers in the summer that didn’t appeal to me, which is why I made the decision to reject them and wait."

Are Newcastle any better off in the goalkeeping department?

The Chronicle believes that at just 31, Karius is already considering hanging up his boots and gloves and finding a new challenge.

Karius only made two appearances for Newcastle, his debut coming in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley followed by a game against Arsenal almost exactly a year later.

Eddie Howe praised Karius for his professionalism during his time at Newcastle and even extended his contract after initially only coming in on a short-term emergency deal.

Now Newcastle have John Ruddy and Odysseas Vlachodimos in the squad who came in after Karius' departure and it doesn't feel like we're any better off.